Shop ‘til You Drop
Dubai is currently building quite an amazing project—The Mall of the World. This mall, as you might’ve guessed from the name, is being constructed to be the world’s largest mall. Not only will it be huge, but also this mall is not your typical shopping center. The mall will contain an enormous, climate-controlled, indoor city. A great way to escape the heat, this “city” will cover an expanse of 8 million square feet. The “city” will hold 100 hotels, which are expected to house at least 80 million visitors every year. The indoor city will also include a park designed to be more amazing than London’s Hyde Park.
The plans to build this incredible mall were announced in July 2014. It is expected to take 10 years to complete the project, so we’re already more than halfway there. It is no wonder that Dubai is such a tourist haven. Once this incredible mall and all those hotels are built it’s sure to be an even more popular destination. Who knows? Maybe you’ll visit Dubai next!
There is a Massive Amount of Oil Produced in Dubai
Enough oil is produced in the city of Dubai to fill 4 and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools per day! That’s about 50,000 to 70,000 barrels worth of oil or 11,000 ml. However, oil isn’t even the main source of income in Dubai.
In 1991, Dubai produced 400,000 barrels of oil every day. Though you might suspect oil was the major source of income in Dubai, it is actually quite a small percentage of the GDP. The main source of income in Dubai currently is tourism and real estate. That’s not actually so surprising considering all of the incredible attractions being built constantly in the city every day.
Less Strict Dress Codes
Unlike some areas in the region, the rules regarding women’s dress in Dubai are not set in stone nor are they necessarily strict. People visiting the city are permitted to wear revealing clothing in Western style and women who live in Dubai do not have to cover their heads unless they choose to.
That being said, it is important to be mindful when dressing in Dubai. If you are visiting and wear a provocative outfit, you may face some backlash or uncomfortable situations with locals. Further, if someone complains about your dress to the authorities, you may run into some trouble with the law. It is also important to keep in mind that the relaxed rules regarding women’s outfits do not apply to religious situations. For example, if you are visiting a mosque you must wear proper attire. Clothes that cover your body and headscarves are required for entry into all mosques in Dubai.
A Quarter of the World’s Cranes are in Dubai
With so much construction going on in Dubai, it might not be so surprising that the city holds about 24% of the world’s construction cranes. There are about 125,000 cranes in the world and Dubai has 30,000 of them.
That number will most likely rise, too. There is a high demand for construction machinery and equipment as well as vehicles and laborers in Dubai. The real estate boom is continuing to grow in the Middle East and the UAE with no sign of letting up any time soon. In fact, the city’s budget for infrastructure and growth in 2017 was $12.88 billion. That’s the highest budget in the world for an area the size of Dubai. Just think of all those cranes!
Dubai Has an Extremely Low Crime Rate
Dubai has an impressively low level of crime, reporting a nearly 0% rate of illegal activity. Perhaps in part due to the city being ruled under Muslim law, harsh penalties help to deter most inhabitants of the city from breaking the rules. The city is largely populated by foreigners who know that they could be imprisoned or deported if they were to break even the smallest of rules in Dubai. Surely, this is an incentive to stay under the radar.
Furthermore, the city of Dubai is proud of its impressive police force and sees its legal enforcement system as something to show off. This may be why every police car in Dubai costs the same average amount as full college tuition in the United States! If you travel to Dubai you’ll see luxurious police cars such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and even an Aston Martin worth 1.79 million dollars!